Fragile as Glass
"Skaters' hearts are as fragile as glass. If their hearts are so fragile… Let's try shattering his into pieces" – Victor Nikiforov
Otabek was thrilled to have the opportunity to go to Skate America this year with the Grand Prix series. It had been over six months since he had seen his best friend, but they would both be competing at Skate America this year.
Yuri Plisetsky and Otabek Altin became fast friends during last year's Grand Prix Final and had stayed in touch ever since. They had made a point to text or call daily, and every time they saw each other at competitions they would go out to eat or explore the city they were staying in. Otabek soon found himself calling Yuri his best friend and had heard the feisty blonde say the same.
But due to the off season, they hadn't seen each other since Worlds. There had only been a few local competitions recently that Otabek had no desire to be a part of and had no coach to push him to do them. Not that he needed to after taking bronze again at the world championships.
Yuri had moved to Japan after worlds to train with his new coach. Victor Nikiforov officially retired after he didn't even make the podium at the four continents or worlds last season. He had more or less self-destructed while trying to compete and still be Yuuri Katsuki's coach. He decided to step away and officially become a coach. When Yuri heard that Victor would be coaching and that Yakov would be retiring after next season anyways, he decided to follow Victor to Japan, along with a few other skaters, including a younger skater from Japan called Minami, who Otabek had never heard of.
Otabek smiled as he picked up his skates off the floor by his front door to pack them, remembering Yuri's complaints about Victor, but Otabek knew he didn't really mean it. He had complained a lot more about Yakov, and Yuri had quietly admitted that he was really enjoying Japan and working with new rink mates before yelling at Otabek to never tell anyone else he said that. Otabek had just laughed and promised.
Once his bag was packed with everything he needed, he checked the time on his phone. It was time to go. His plane and Yuri's would be landing at about the same time due to layovers, so they promised to wait for each other at the airport in Detroit. He also noticed a message from Yuri.
Yuri P: Getting on the plane. See you when I land.
The message was accented with all kinds of celebration and smiley face emojis. It made Otabek smile. He never used to smile much, but his best friend never failed to coax one out of him without him even realizing it.
Otabek grabbed his bags, slinging his backpack over his shoulder, and left his apartment, making sure to lock the door behind him. He hailed a taxi out in front of his building, and he was on his way, far more excited to see Yuri than to compete.
These kinds of feelings always made Otabek examine his friendship with Yuri and reminded him that he actually wanted so much more than just friendship with the feisty Russian. Otabek stared out the cab window as his home city of Almaty passed him by, his elbow on the window ledge and his chin on his fist. He wished more than anything that he could act on his feelings but feared that it would only ruin the relationship he already had with Yuri. Becoming Yuri's friend had been the best thing that happened to him in years, and he wouldn't risk that.
The cab pulled into the airport and came to a stop in front of the terminal he needed. The driver got out to help him with his suitcase. Otabek thanked him in quick Kazakh and paid him what was due before walking into the airport to start the grueling process of international travel.
Customs somehow took longer than normal because his bag got flagged with his laptop in it. But eventually he made it through and was on his way to his plane. He made it just in time to board with the other first-class passengers. He shot a text to Yuri once he was in his seat before he had to turn his phone off.
Otabek: On the plane. See you soon.
He turned his phone to airplane mode, then dug around in his backpack for his earbuds. He had every intention to sleep and try to avoid Jet Lag as much as possible.
He managed to sleep for a few hours after takeoff, but even first-class seats were only so comfortable, so he ended up watching a few movies before he could fall asleep again. The next time he woke was to the landing announcements. Otabek packed the few things he took out during the flight and waited for the plane to land and pull into its terminal. He was one of the first to disembark.
He walked quickly to the baggage claim where he would meet Yuri, not sure if he would be there first or Yuri. When he didn't see Yuri anywhere, he checked his phone. No texts from Yuri. Just one from his mother, wanting to know if he made it to America safely. He replied, then went to look for his luggage.
He pulled his suitcase off the turntable when he saw it and turned to scan the room again for any blonde, or even silver hair, because Victor was so much taller than Yuri and bound to be with Yuri as his coach. Still not seeing them, he stood to the side in a convenient spot that would let him keep an eye on the whole room.
After 20 minutes and still no sign of Yuri or Victor, Otabek went in search of an arrivals and departures board. He found Yuri's flight and sighed when he saw that it landed almost a half an hour earlier. He pulled out his phone to text Yuri when he heard footsteps running behind him and a shout of his nickname, Beka. He spun around just in time to catch what he could only assume to be Yuri. It certainly smelled and sounded like Yuri.
The Russian had completely jumped into his arms, wrapping his legs around Otabek's waist and his arms around his neck. Otabek had caught him around the middle. "I've missed you so much." Yuri said into his shoulder.
"I've missed you, too, Yura." Otabek grunted in return, barely able to breathe through Yuri's crushing hug. He looked up, finding Victor and the Japanese Yuuri watching them with amused expressions on their faces, Victor's arm draped over Yuuri's shoulders. Otabek tapped Yuri on the back and choked out, "I can't breathe."
Yuri immediately dropped and took a step backwards. Otabek took a deep breath before it caught in his throat. Yuri had gotten taller. He was almost as tall as Otabek himself now, and his hair was longer now, brushing his shoulder blades in the back. His blue eyes were as radiant as ever, sparkling with excitement. He reached out to grasp Otabek's hand and dragged him along to go find his luggage. Victor and Yuuri followed at a respectable distance, probably to give the two friends privacy. Otabek was grateful for that.
Yuri continued to ramble to him about anything and everything, and Otabek soaked up every word, knowing he would only have a few more days before they had to separate to return home. He wanted to make the most of this time. Who knew when they would see each other again.
The four of them squeezed into a taxi and Yuuri did the honor of telling the driver where to go, because he knew his way around Detroit best. They pulled up in front of their hotel a few minutes later and they all piled out of the vehicle to get their luggage and go check in. Yuri had somehow arranged for the two of them to share a hotel room, but Otabek had a sneaking suspicion that the reason for that was to stay as far away from Victor and Yuuri as possible. Not that it mattered to Otabek, because now he got Yuri all to himself for 4 whole nights.
Victor gave Yuri orders to go drop off his things and meet him at the rink down the road. Yuri complained in typical Yuri fashion but relented in the end. So, Otabek led the way upstairs to their room and let them both in.
Yuri picked the bed closest to the window, leaving Otabek by the door. Yuri grumbled about how not fair it was to expect Yuri to train right after arriving after 20 hours of planes and airports. Otabek just shook his head and chuckled quietly.
"What are you laughing at, Beka?" Yuri asked, and Otabek looked up just in time to see Yuri's shirt come off.
Otabek swallowed heavily and quickly looked away. "It's not that bad. Didn't you sleep on the plane?" He put his suitcase up on the bed to open it and rifled through it for his own skates and some good clothes to skate in.
"No. Victor made that rather impossible by being all mushy gushy with the Pork Cutlet Bowl." Yuri explained, and Otabek just laughed again. "Don't laugh! Those two getting officially engaged only made everything so much more disgusting. I can't even ignore it now like I used to."
"I take it you're not much of a romantic, then?" Otabek asked, turning around to push his sweats down and replace them with some loose leggings.
Yuri didn't answer, so Otabek turned around and right as he did, he could have sworn Yuri had been watching him with a blush dusting his cheeks, but he had turned around to change his own pants too quickly for Otabek to tell.
"Romance is for losers." Yuri finally replied once he had his own leggings on.
Otabek smiled. "I don't think so. Not if they're the right people. I think they're rather good together."
Yuri made a gagging noise, "You won't think that after almost a week hanging around them constantly…" he paused for a moment, then continued heatedly, "actually, no. You won't because I'm going to avoid them at all costs. If we're not at the rink, I don't want anything to do with those two."
Otabek shook his head, but didn't retort, knowing it wouldn't do any good. Besides, he rather liked the idea of having Yuri all to himself for the next 5 days, except for skating of course. He held up his own skates and asked, "do you mind if I join you?"
Yuri's face lit up with a smile and he agreed at once. So, Otabek followed him out of the hotel and down the road to the rink where the competition would take place. Victor and Yuuri were already there. Yuuri had taken a seat near the rink, playing with his phone close by while Victor laced up his skates.
"Wait, does he skate with you?" Otabek asked, turning to Yuri.
"Yeah, it's part of what makes him such a good coach. He can get up close and personal." Yuri approached and plopped down close to Yuuri to pull on his skates and start lacing them up. Otabek followed his lead and soon all three of them were on the ice. They were the only ones there, so both Yuri and Otabek had plenty of room to practice.
Otabek caught Victor watching him more than once, and after an hour of feeling a little awkward about having Victor watch him so critically, he decided to confront the other man about it. "Is there a reason you're staring at me?"
Victor didn't reply immediately, but just kept watching him, so Otabek skated closer. "I was wondering why you don't have a coach this year." Victor finally said once Otabek was close enough to touch him.
"Coaches have never done me much good. Not since I was a novice. They always try to make me do ballet, or other things that just don't work for me. I got sick of it, so I learned how to choreograph my own programs and I decided to go it alone this year. My mother will be joining me in time for the short program to see me onto the ice."
Victor hummed in thought, then turned to watch Yuri for a moment as he launched himself into a massive Quadruple Salchow, landing it perfectly. "So, you have no coach and don't do ballet, but you can keep up with the best of us. I must admit I'm impressed. But I wonder what you could be capable of with the right coach."
Otabek scoffed. "Yeah, right. I've trained with a ton of coaches in America and across the rest of the world. I even worked with Celestino briefly. Not one of them did me any good."
"I can see how frustrating that would be, but what if you had a coach who listened to you when you said something doesn't work for you?" Victor said, shifting his gaze again to meet Otabek's eyes.
Otabek shook his head. "Like who? You?"
Victor nodded. "Yes. There's no one right way to do anything, especially something like ice skating. You're good, yes. But you can be better. You have a lot of potential left in you, and I already have a plan to tap into that potential. Can you give me a chance to show you?"
Otabek turned away for a moment, considering the proposal. Yuri was practicing combination spins with perfect execution. Otabek had never been particularly good at combinations. He wasn't flexible enough for them. He simply didn't bend that way. But Yuri did it beautifully. Everything Yuri did was beautiful in Otabek's eyes.
"I would have to move to Japan." Otabek stated.
"Yes." Victor replied. "You could move into Yuri's flat. He has a spare bedroom and could use a roommate, and since you two are good friends, it would be rather convenient. You would be one of four skaters under me, so you would get plenty of one-on-one time. I'd love to have you."
Moving in with Yuri? Otabek already had a hard enough time keeping his hands to himself as it was. He had a hard time believing that this was a good idea. He had no doubt he would learn a lot from Victor, but to be around Yuri every day? It was a nightmare as much as a dream come true. "Can I think about it?"
"Sure, but don't take too long." Victor said before skating away toward his fiancé.
Yuri approached and looked at Otabek curiously. "What was that about?" he asked as he came to a stop right in front of Otabek.
"Victor offered to coach me." Otabek stated simply. He didn't keep secrets from Yuri.
Blue eyes lit up and Otabek already knew he was going to cave, even if he pretended he wouldn't. "You're going to take him up on that, right? You can come live with me in Japan!"
Otabek swallowed thickly, weaker than he thought to those eyes shining with excitement and hope. "I told him I'd think about it. I just moved back to Almaty, and I don't do coaches. They complicate things for me."
"But Victor is an amazing coach. You'll learn so much from him, and he will listen to you. I promise that." Yuri was still looking up at him with shining eyes, and Otabek closed his own.
"I'm going to have to think about it, Yura." Otabek said, then opened his eyes to see Yuri pouting cutely.
"Yurio! Get moving. We're here to practice, not chat." Victor called from close by, and the door opened, admitting Guang Hong Ji into the arena. He would also be competing.
Otabek looked back over at Yuri, who was yelling back at Victor to give him a minute. "You should do what he says. No need to get in trouble." Otabek reasoned and almost reached out a hand to push a stray piece of hair away from Yuri's face. He clenched his fist instead and skated away, back to his own practice session.
Once Victor gave the go ahead for Yuri to be done for the day, Yuri stepped off the ice to remove his skates. Otabek, sweating and feeling physically drained from his own practice, decided he should follow before he developed bad habits from skating while tired. He sat next to Yuri to start undoing his laces.
"How long are you going to think about it?" Yuri asked, pulling off his left boot and throwing it down by his bag.
Otabek looked sideways at the Russian and huffed. "I don't know. Part of me wants to do it. I know Victor's methods are different than every other coach I've had, but they seem to work. The other part of me is hesitant. I've had many coaches tell me it'll be different, or that they can help me maximize potential. But not one of them could follow through."
"The only way to really know would be to give it a chance, right?" Yuri had finished pulling off his skates and was now sliding his feet into street shoes.
"I suppose that's true…" Otabek said, pulling off his second skate to put back in his bag. "It's a long way to Japan from Almaty. A bigger change than you think. It's not going to be easy picking up everything and moving in the middle of the season." Otabek zipped his bag and picked it up to sling over his shoulder, watchingYurido the same.
"Yeah, that's true. I still think you should do it, and not just because I would love to have you as a roommate. Anyways, let's go find something to eat. I haven't had a McDonalds hamburger in ages!"Yurisaid, leading the way out of the arena.
"We really shouldn't be eating something like fast food hamburgers right before a competition. Why don't we save that for later and find something healthier?" Otabek really didn't want to repeat an experience from back when he trained in America.
"Men's seniors don't start for two days. It'll be fine."Yuritried to convince him, but Otabek really wasn't going for it.
Otabek grunted and said, "no, not fine. Fast Food is well known for being the cause of a lot of food poisoning cases here in the US. And besides, that really didn't go well for me the last time I tried it." He ended up tellingYuriall about a small junior competition he was in and had decided to eat a burger the day before and ended up puking all over the ice mid-program.
Yurilaughed so hard he had tears streaming down his face and could hardly walk from being doubled over. "Wait, wait. You puked mid-program? Dude, that's amazing."
"It's not. I'm lucky it was a small, non-televised competition. That could have been really bad. And they had to delay the competition for over an hour to clean it up. And I got one of my worst scores ever. And I mean, ever." Otabek opened his phone as they stepped out of the arena,Yuristill wiping tears and standing up straight. "What about this?" He had found a few local restaurants and pointed to one that served a lot of different options, including some hamburger options. "And it would be a better hamburger anyways."
Yurishrugged. "That's fine." Otabek could tell he was trying his best to keep a straight face and not burst out laughing again. He was failing rather miserably at it though, and when Otabek quirked and eyebrow his resolve broke, and he started laughing again. "I'm sorry, but I just keep imagining you, like, landing some jump and not even stopping before letting chunks fly, so it would be all over the ice."
"And somehow you find this amusing instead of disgusting…" Otabek just shook his head and let the corners of his lips quirk upwards. "And that's not how it happened at all."
"I don't care. Let me keep this fantasy, please."
Otabek was weak toYuri. He knew this, and he knew it well. There was nothingYuricould ask for that Otabek would deny him. Well, except maybe fast-food hamburgers right before a competition. So, Otabek just led the way down the street withYuriin tow, giggling all the way.